The team ended up in the middle of a massive blizzard as they unsuccessfully tried to get to Tuesday's game at Eastleigh – and former manager Steve Massey was hired as the unpaid head of football development at Treyew Road.

It is the appointment of 54-year-old Massey which has been the main talking point for City fans, though, bringing as it does the potential for possible conflict with manager Lee Hodges. However, Massey, who also enjoyed great success with City as a player, said he wanted to lend a helping hand and not take over.

"I'm really looking forward to the challenge," he said. "Although my responsibility is for all the club's teams, the first team is of paramount importance at the moment.

"I want to help Lee, though he was naturally wary when I spoke to him, but that should not be the case.

"I will be an extra pair of eyes, but I will not be telling him what players to pick. But I do feel we have perhaps been feeling a bit sorry for ourselves with all that has happened.

"It is a great club and importantly now has a structure which it did not have before."

Ahead of Saturday's home game against Chelmsford City, Truro are anchored at the foot of Blue Square Bet South with nine points. Club chairman Masters said: "Steve's first task is to support Lee Hodges as first-team manager in every way possible to ensure that we have a squad that is capable of returning to its winning form in an attempt to avoid relegation, whilst planning for every eventuality in future.

"It is still mathematically possible to stay up and anything can happen, and even more so when you consider the financial status of one or two other clubs in this League at this particular time."

City will at least be hoping that the Chelmsford game goes ahead after Tuesday's fiasco as they tried to get to Eastleigh. Their bus got as far as Taunton but was then engulfed by a blizzard, leaving little alternative but to turn back after talking to league officials.

Hodges, who had been driving to the match by car, said: "We wanted to play the game and were looking forward to it, but the roads were just too dangerous."

The winners of Saturday's re-arranged FA Carlsberg Vase fourth-round tie between Bodmin Town and Ashington will be at home to Gornal Athletic or Wisbech Town in the last 16 of the competition.